English
English version: It did not resemble human writing. He felt strange and questioned the officer. The officer said, 'I am under orders to pursue, but I do not know why.' Soon he saw a horse below the steps and had no choice but to mount it. Looking back, he saw his corpse on the bed and felt disgusted. In his haste, he did not realize he was dead. He then saw the horse leave, not through the gate, but along the wall. He was shocked and wept, finally realizing he was dead and regretting that he could not bid farewell to his mother and sisters. After traveling about several dozen *li*, he arrived at a city, which was very magnificent. He asked what city this was, and the officer said it was a kingdom. Entering the city, they passed a courtyard. He asked what courtyard this was, and the officer said it was the courtyard of the Imperial Censor-in-chief. He then asked the Censor-in-chief's name, and was told it was Li Mou. Lu was overjoyed, saying, 'This is my cousin.' He asked the officer to present his card. After a moment, his cousin came out to meet him, very pleased, and they recounted their past. The Censor-in-chief said, 'Your recitation of the scriptures has accumulated much merit, mainly because the *Diamond Sutra* (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) is the marrow of the sacred teachings, and its merit is inconceivable.' When Lu first entered the courtyard, he saw dozens of people all wearing official robes, but most of them were tied in nets, some without clothes, some with bare heads. Lu asked who these people were, and was told they were officials from the *yang* world, and those in the nets had committed serious sins. 'If you were to preach the Dharma for them once, all who hear it would ascend to heaven.' So they brought a high seat and had Lu ascend it to recite the *Diamond Sutra* (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra). Some of those in the nets had already poked their heads out, and by the halfway point, all had emerged from the ground, some wearing wide-sleeved robes, some riding in carriages and driving clouds. When the recitation was finished, all those who were to be reborn had departed. When he went to pay respects to the king, the king called him a Dharma Master and showed him great respect. The king said, 'Your merit is inconceivable and cannot be calculated.' He ordered the officer to send him back. When he arrived home, he saw his family weeping with disheveled hair, and his corpse lying on the ground. He felt very sad. After a moment, a maid entered from the courtyard. The officer had her follow him up the steps. When she reached the front, his soul suddenly entered her body, and she came back to life. Returning West Yan Jiang was a leather worker from Xiangcheng. In middle age, he abandoned his trade and took on the task of carrying vegetarian meals at a Buddhist temple. On the road, he devoted himself to reciting the *Diamond Sutra* (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) and continuously chanting the name of *Amitabha Buddha* (Amitābha). When he was over sixty years old, he suddenly stopped eating grains and only drank water for a month. Then he said, 'I shall depart on such and such day, at such and such time.' When the time came, he bathed, changed his clothes, and sat in the lotus position. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
化。焚之得舍利数合。其舌坚如金石。扣之有声。时正德十三年事也。 湖州屠户。陆公。年二十三。于门前见一云水僧。口称教化有缘人。陆不解。僧云。汝宰杀猪羊无数。何不改业。陆云。承袭祖业。不能弃舍。僧云。汝若不改。后世必堕此类。仍被他杀。冤冤相报。无有出期。贫僧睹汝。宿有善根。可早持莲华经金刚经。汝若专心受持。即能消除恶业。增长福善。僧说讫不见。陆遂省悟。即请工绘阿弥陀佛。观音势至相一轴。至诚供养。坚心素食。投师习诵二经。未及五年。自能暗诵。如明日宰杀。夜于佛前焚香。持诵莲华一部。金刚一卷。对佛忏悔。口称来晨杀猪羊几口。愿将看经功德。超度被杀猪羊。尽此报身。早生净土。愿我命终时。免此冤对。以此为常。陆反觉身轻体健。年至八十一。将死。半月前。遍请亲友。言十一月初九辞世。聊具蔬食。祇迎相别。至期亲友赴斋。索浴更衣。端然正坐。颂曰。六十余年专杀业。手提刀称暗修行。今朝得趣菩提路。水里莲花火里生。颂毕化去。亲朋无不瞻仰赞叹。 万历辛丑。顺城门内监。张爱。晚年受持金刚经。届易簧。家人嘱之曰。莫忘持经念头。爱心然之。而口噤不能答。睹二青衣押之曰。汝当往山东投胎。其行若飞。日中已到山东。见彼土山 现代汉语译本：火化后得到几合舍利。他的舌头坚硬如金石，敲击时有声音。这件事发生在明朝正德十三年（1518年）。 湖州有个屠户，姓陆，二十三岁。他在门前见到一个云游僧人，自称要教化有缘人。陆不明白。僧人说：‘你宰杀猪羊无数，为何不改行？’陆说：‘继承祖业，不能放弃。’僧人说：‘你若不改，后世必定堕入此类，仍然被它们宰杀，冤冤相报，没有出头之日。贫僧看你，宿世有善根，可以早日持诵《莲华经》（妙法莲华经）和《金刚经》（金刚般若波罗蜜经）。你若专心受持，就能消除恶业，增长福善。’僧人说完就不见了。陆于是醒悟，立即请工匠绘制阿弥陀佛、观音（观世音菩萨）、势至（大势至菩萨）像一轴，至诚供养，坚心素食，拜师学习诵读二经。不到五年，就能背诵。每天晚上，如果第二天要宰杀，就在佛前焚香，持诵《莲华经》一部，《金刚经》一卷，对着佛忏悔，口中念着明天要宰杀猪羊几口，愿将看经功德，超度被杀猪羊，尽此报身，早生净土。愿我命终时，免除这些冤对。’他以此为常。陆反而觉得身轻体健。活到八十一岁将要去世时，提前半个月，遍请亲友，说十一月初九要辞世，略备素食，恭迎相别。到期亲友赴斋，他要求沐浴更衣，端正坐好，颂道：‘六十余年专杀业，手提刀称暗修行。今朝得趣菩提路，水里莲花火里生。’颂完就去世了。亲朋无不瞻仰赞叹。 万历辛丑年（1601年），顺城门内的太监张爱，晚年受持《金刚经》。临终时，家人嘱咐他说：‘不要忘记持经的念头。’张爱心里明白，但口不能答。他看见两个青衣人押着他说：‘你应当往山东投胎。’他们行走如飞，中午已经到了山东，看见当地的山
English
English version: After cremation, several portions of Śarīra (relics) were obtained. His tongue was as hard as metal and stone, and it made a sound when struck. This event occurred in the thirteenth year of the Zhengde reign (1518) of the Ming Dynasty. There was a butcher in Huzhou named Lu, who was twenty-three years old. He saw a wandering monk in front of his door, who claimed to be there to enlighten those with affinity. Lu did not understand. The monk said, 'You have slaughtered countless pigs and sheep, why not change your profession?' Lu said, 'I inherited the family business and cannot abandon it.' The monk said, 'If you do not change, you will surely fall into this category in future lives and still be slaughtered by them, with karmic retribution without end. I see that you have good roots from past lives, so you should recite the *Lotus Sūtra* (Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra) and the *Diamond Sūtra* (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) early. If you wholeheartedly uphold them, you can eliminate evil karma and increase blessings and goodness.' After the monk finished speaking, he disappeared. Lu then awakened and immediately hired craftsmen to paint a scroll of Amitābha Buddha, Avalokiteśvara (Guānshìyīn Púsà), and Mahāsthāmaprāpta (Dàshìzhì Púsà), which he sincerely worshipped. He steadfastly maintained a vegetarian diet and studied the two sūtras with a teacher. In less than five years, he was able to recite them from memory. Every night, if he was to slaughter the next day, he would burn incense before the Buddha, recite one part of the *Lotus Sūtra* and one scroll of the *Diamond Sūtra*, and repent before the Buddha, saying that he would slaughter several pigs and sheep tomorrow, and wished to transfer the merit of reading the sūtras to liberate the slaughtered pigs and sheep, and to be reborn in the Pure Land after this life. He wished to be spared from these karmic debts when he died. He made this a regular practice. Lu felt lighter and healthier. When he was about to die at the age of eighty-one, he invited relatives and friends half a month in advance, saying that he would pass away on the ninth day of the eleventh month, and prepared a simple vegetarian meal to bid farewell. On the appointed day, relatives and friends attended the vegetarian meal. He asked to be bathed and changed, sat upright, and recited: 'For more than sixty years, I specialized in the slaughtering business, holding a knife and secretly cultivating. Today, I attain the path to Bodhi, a lotus flower born in water and fire.' After reciting, he passed away. All his relatives and friends admired and praised him. In the year of Xinchou (1601) during the Wanli reign, Zhang Ai, a eunuch inside the Shuncheng Gate, upheld the *Diamond Sūtra* in his later years. When he was about to die, his family instructed him, 'Do not forget the thought of upholding the sūtra.' Zhang Ai understood in his heart, but his mouth could not answer. He saw two people in green clothes escorting him, saying, 'You should be reborn in Shandong.' They traveled as fast as flying, and by noon they had arrived in Shandong, seeing the local mountains --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
水。及受生父母。爱一心惟持经。随押至一殿宇。心疑是东岳。而无牛头狱卒。殿上一人。冠平顶冠。引爱使前。冠者起曰。汝合到此地投胎。爱称某一生持金刚经。但愿往生。不愿投胎。冠者曰。汝持经功少。爱云。曾闻十念成就。况某持经。已历数年之久乎。冠者因顾两青衣曰。且送回持经。受死已九日。心尚暖。未殓。复苏。遂离家住西山碧云寺。专诵金刚经。又十一年。一日集众云。我以持经力。今西去矣。沐浴更衣。端坐而逝。 宣德间。川西鹤鸣。观道士。陈入玄。志求长生。祷神授法。夜见一人。自称金刚神。谓玄曰。尔往岷山。礼智融和尚。当授汝法。玄如言往问云。玄冀长生。愿闻秘要。融云。不见金刚云。一切有为法。如梦幻泡影乎。玄云。既如幻泡。何谓长生。融云。若见诸相非相。即见如来。又云。即非如来。是名如来。玄于言下顿省。遂归隐瓦屋山之虎踞岩。年九十八。一日集邻居曰。吾始志仙长生。今幸得佛长生矣。愿诸公得我所得。言讫。遂瞑目而逝。 海盐渔户。张元。与弟贞。撒网夜归。舟至青松塘。见水面异光。掩映星月。疑有宝珠。遂没水取一石匣。兄弟相庆。归家䖍启。得金刚经一卷。金字所书。遂供家堂中。夜梦金甲神曰。汝前生。为长水法师讲坛作务人。 现代汉语译本： 水。又及我的受生父母去世后，我因为一心一意地诵持《金刚经》（Vajra-chedika-prajna-paramita-sutra），被押送到一座殿宇。我心里怀疑这里是东岳（泰山神）的管辖之地，但是却没有牛头狱卒。殿上有一个人，头戴平顶冠，命令差役带我上前。戴冠的人站起来说：‘你应当到这里投胎转世。’我说：‘我一生诵持《金刚经》，只希望能够往生净土，不愿投胎。’戴冠的人说：‘你诵经的功德还不够。’我说：‘我曾听闻十念法门也能成就往生，何况我诵经已经有数年之久了呢？’戴冠的人于是回头吩咐两个青衣使者说：‘暂且送他回去继续诵经，他受死已经九天了，心口还温暖，尚未入殓。’我于是离开家，住在西山碧云寺，专心诵读《金刚经》。又过了十一年，有一天，我召集众人说：‘我凭借诵经的力量，今天要往生西方极乐世界了。’沐浴更衣后，端坐而逝。 明宣德（1426-1435）年间，川西鹤鸣观的道士陈入玄，立志追求长生不老，祈祷神仙传授法术。夜晚梦见一人，自称是金刚神（Vajra Devata），对陈入玄说：‘你前往岷山，拜见智融和尚，他会传授你法术。’陈入玄按照金刚神所说，前去拜见智融和尚，问道：‘我希望能够长生不老，希望能够听闻其中的秘诀。’智融和尚说：‘你没有看见《金刚经》所说的吗？一切有为法，如梦幻泡影。’陈入玄说：‘既然像梦幻泡影一样虚幻，又怎么能长生不老呢？’智融和尚说：‘如果能见到诸相非相，就能见到如来（Tathagata）。’又说：‘即非如来，是名如来。’陈入玄在听闻这些话后，顿时醒悟，于是归隐到瓦屋山的虎踞岩。九十八岁那年，有一天，他召集邻居说：‘我当初立志修仙求长生，现在有幸得到了佛法的长生之道。希望各位能够得到我所得到的。’说完，就闭上眼睛去世了。 海盐的渔民张元和他的弟弟张贞，撒网打鱼后在夜晚回家。船行驶到青松塘时，看见水面上有奇异的光芒，与星月交相辉映。他们怀疑是有宝珠，于是潜入水中取出一个石匣。兄弟俩非常高兴，回家后虔诚地打开石匣，得到了一卷用金字书写的《金刚经》。于是将《金刚经》供奉在家堂之中。当晚梦见一位金甲神（golden-armored deity）对他们说：‘你们前生是长水法师讲坛的杂务人员。